Expandable sand-grid for stabilizing an undersurface
AssigneeThe United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Army
InventorSteve L. Webster
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A grid system for stabilizing an underlayer and providing a support surface ncludes 60 longitudinally extending polyethylene strips which are bonded one to another in an offset manner and are adapted for providing a grid. The grid has a first collapsed orientation wherein the strips are generally linearly aligned and substantially contiguous and a second expanded orientation wherein the strips are generally longitudinally sinusoidal for providing a plurality of cells. The cells are filled with compacted naturally occurring beach sand. An asphalt layer is applied to the upper surface of the grid and penetrates the cells to a predetermined depth for thereby providing a roadway surface adapted for vehicler traffic.
Claims59
A structure for providing a trafficable surface comprising:
- (a) a grid comprising a plurality of interconnected, flexible upstanding strips of generally constant equal height and generally equal length, each said strip having a top edge and a bottom edge, said bottom edges of said grid strips adapted for only resting on an underlayer whereby said top edges of said grid strip and said bottom edges of said grid strips assume the contour of said underlayer;
- (b) said grid having a first collapsed orientation whereby said strips are generally linearly aligned and substantially contiguous and a second expanded orientation whereby said strips are of a generally longitudinal sinusoidal configuration and form a plurality of open ended cells;
- and
- (c) each of said cells being substantially filled with a compacted, granular material, said compacted, granular material providing said trafficable surface.
A barrier structure comprising,
- (a) a plurality of grids, each said grid comprising a plurality of interconnected, flexible, upstanding strips of generally constant equal height and generally constant equal length, each said strip having a top edge and a bottom edge, said grids being stacked one upon the other with the top edges of one grid adjacent the bottom edges of the adjacent overlaying grid and the bottom edges of a bottom grid only resting on an underlayer;
- (b) each said grid having a first collapsed orientation whereby said strips are generally linearly aligned and substantially contiguous and a second expanded orientation whereby said strips are of a generally longitudinal sinusoidal configuration and form a plurality of open ended cells;
- (c) each of said grid cells being substantially filled with a compacted, granular material, said compacted, granular material forming a support surface for each said grid.
A method of stabilizing an underlayer and providing a support surface, comprising the steps
- (a) providing a first expandable grid comprised of a plurality of interconnected flexible strips, said grid having a first collapsed orientation whereby said strips are generally linearly aligned and contiguous and a second expanded orientation whereby said strips provide a number of open ended cells;
- (b) supporting said grid in said collapsed orientation only on said underlayer;
- (c) expanding said grid to said expanded orientation for thereby providing said number of open ended cells whereby said grid assumes the contour of said underlayer;
- (d) substantially filling each of said cells with a granular material;
- and
- (e) compacting said granular material to form compacted granular material said compacted, granular material providing said support surface.
The method of claim 35 including the further step of repeating steps (a)-(e) of claim 60 until a desired number of grids are stacked one on top of the other.
The method of claim 36 wherein step (e) of claim 60 is omitted for the top grid.
A structure for providing a trafficable surface comprising:
- (a) a plurality of interconnected upstanding strips of flexible material having generally constant equal height and generally equal length, said strips assuming the contour of and only being supported by an underlayer;
- (b) said interconnected strips forming a plurality of open ended cells;
- and
- (c) each of said cells being substantially filled with a compacted generally granular material for providing said trafficable surface.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.